Piers Morgan ends CNN show with gun-control plea

LOS ANGELES (AP) — CNN host PiersMorgan issued one last plea for U.S. gun control as he wrapped up his show's three-year run.

Morgan devoted the prime-time show's final minutes Friday night to the issue that he said has been a "consistent and often very controversial" part of "Piers Morgan Live."

The British-born host cited gun violence statistics and expressed dismay that mass shootings including those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., haven't led to stricter laws.

Morgan blamed politicians that he said had been bullied into "cowardly" silence by a gun lobby led by the National Rifle Association.

A message seeking comment from the NRA was left Friday night with an answering service at its headquarters.

Piers concluded with remarks addressed to his critics.

"To those who claim my gun control campaign has been anti-American, well, the reverse is true. I'm so pro-American I want more of you to stay alive," he said, adding, "Now it's down to you."

Morgan is a former U.K. tabloid editor who reinvented himself as a TV personality with stints as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent" and its U.S. spinoff, NBC's "America's Got Talent," and as a contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice."

In 2011, he succeeded longtime CNN host Larry King in the 9 p.m. Eastern time slot, but drew increasingly paltry ratings. He has said that CNN's audience tired of hearing a Brit weigh in American cultural issues.

Last fall, the already struggling "Piers Morgan Live" faced increased competition from a revised Fox News Channel lineup that included a strong new performer opposite Morgan with Megyn Kelly's "The Kelly File."

When the show's end was announced last month, Morgan said he was in discussions with CNN regarding a new role. The channel said then that his future was undetermined.

Morgan served as editor of The Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004. He has been questioned in connection with Britain's long-running phone hacking scandal, which has led to numerous arrests, resignations and the closure of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid.

In February, Morgan confirmed that he was interviewed in December by British police investigating the illegal interception of telephone voicemails. Morgan, who said he had given a previous witness statement, has consistently denied wrongdoing.

How many deaths? Sigh. Because more laws will take all the guns away from criminals and make it impossible for them ever to get a gun. Ever.

Right?

I'm all for the laws on the books, which include the waiting period for the FBI background checks (which include a psychological component). These laws prevent criminals from lawfully purchasing a firearm. And you know criminals, if they can't purchase a gun lawfully, they'll stop trying, right?

What people like you want aren't actual gun control laws. Because we already have gun control laws.

What you actually want are gun bans and the repeal of the Second Amendment. Which will leave the law abiding citizens of this country out in the cold, turning many of them into criminals, and provide actual criminals with an open season pass against a defenseless citizenry.

If someone wants to take someone else's life, they're going to do so. When a criminal wants to get a gun, they're going to be able to do so, no matter how many laws or bans are passed, or if the Second Amendment is repealed. The best way to protect ourselves is to protect ourselves.

You don't want a gun? Fine. Don't buy one. Don't infringe on my right to do so.

For folks like Cat, the illusion of safety is more important than the Constitution. It's cowardly and ignorant, and it's made even worse by hypocritically claiming that people who disagree need to "grow some balls." Seriously, take a look in the fucking mirror.

People stopped watching him cause he was a dick to guests he didn't agree with and was pushing an agenda that the majority of people simply didn't agree with. I'm glad he suck to his guns (pun intended) though, it got him canceled.

Don't let the door hit on the way out pal! I started out wanting to like this guy when he first took over Larry Kings slot. But after he started getting a little notoriety and power he became the biggest a-hole. Not only was he an arrogant prick to his guests (sometimes even to the ones that agreed w/him) but talked down to the audience as though we were too stupid to know what was good for us. It had nothing to do with him being British and everything to do with his personality. While I completely support the second ammendment, I do think there needs to be better background/mental checks. But I think Piers just wanted to throw the baby out with the bath water. That's not going to solve the problem it just sweeps it under the rug which makes him just as bad as some of those at the NRA that have done the same thing but from the other side.

Don't let the door hit on the way out pal! I started out wanting to like this guy when he first took over Larry Kings slot. But after he started getting a little notoriety and power he became the biggest a-hole. Not only was he an arrogant prick to his guests (sometimes even to the ones that agreed w/him) but talked down to the audience as though we were too stupid to know what was good for us. It had nothing to do with him being British and everything to do with his personality. While I completely support the second ammendment, I do think there needs to be better background/mental checks. But I think Piers just wanted to throw the baby out with the bath water. That's not going to solve the problem it just sweeps it under the rug which makes him just as bad as some of those at the NRA that have done the same thing but from the other side.